Tell me about yourself...

[realruby2000]

This question is almost all the time asked in interviews...the question is...what does the interviewer really want to know? what does he want to know about you besides ur name, where ur from and ur major? is he or she looking for your qualities or what?

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[PalCareGrl]

To this question I always give them the background on how I got interested in medicine and then osteopathic medicine. I guess it worked because I was accepted. I don't think they want your life story, just your motivations, why you're there, etc... just my opinion. Hope this helps!

 

[Ohiobuddhist]

Last week I interviewed at OU-COM and my first interviewer was a D.O. named Gottfried. He asked me the obvious "Tell me about yourself question", but after describing my experiences, interests, etc, I got the impression that I was leaving something out. He kept grilling me and I eventually realized that what he really wanted was for me to describe my underlying motivation for wanting to practice medicine. Incidentally, I came to some real revelations during this interview. After I gave him the answer he wanted, his demeanor changed and the grilling seemed to stop.
In essence, I think this was the only question he wanted answered. He phrased it specifically after the interview as "What drives you?" He wasn't just talking about medicine, though. He wanted to really understand my underlying principles and beliefs and was willing to help me work them out of my head. So, my suggestion is to think about "what drives you" - both toward medicine and in general. It worked for me, apparently. Dr. Gottfried was the chair of my admissions committee, so he had the most influence on the larger commitee's decision. I must have convinced him because I had an acceptance letter two days later.
--Good luck

 

[PainMan]

I have an older medical residency prep book from a yard sale. A little out dated but the author was an academic physician. His take: The "tell me about yourself" is the most frequently asked question. He says it is the best foot forward or foot in the mouth question. Most people try to squeeze a chronological life history in 5 minutes. And inevitably you will focus on what you perceive as your short comings. His suggestion: (which ties directly to ohiobuddist) tie your personal qualities to your underlying reason for the pursuit of medicine (and in our case specifically osteopathic) to the perceived best qualities of the school...and do it in under a minute. Pause, and ask if they would like you to continue or elaborate on any subject you mentioned. Sorry to post without his name or book title. I will be at home later tonight and can post it then.
I interview at DMU on the 15th. I am a wreck in interviewing, butI have rehearsed this question dozens of times and have not felt comfortable until trying this approach.

here we go!

ryan.

 

[Amra]

I had a conversation with a MS2 at one of the schools I interviews at... He (paraphrased) said "they [adcom] have already decided on whether they are going to accept you or not. Basically, they are looking to see if you are a real person and can hold a conversation."

Relax! I looked at interviews as my time to shine... to address all the shortcomings (in my application) with a positive light and concrete answers.. The best for that is "tell me about yourself."

-A